Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining
by Emerald-Shadow-Knight
Summary: What was Silver's life like before she married into the Racket family? Was there another reason she accepted Dennis' proposal, besides for money? Prequel to Predator in the Tank.
1. Worth the Silver Screen

What? Don't look at me like that. I have a thing for the Racket Family.

Disclaimer: Sims 3 belongs to EA/Maxis.

* * *

"Sarah!" The teen's mother called from the kitchen downstairs. Sarah, who was looking out the window towards the sunset, sighed and put out the cigarette she was smoking.

"What now...?" Sarah begrudgingly made her way down the hall. The wallpaper was still peeling, and yellowed. She'd do anything to leave this dump. Anything.

"Who is it?" Her mother held out the phone towards her. After handing it to her, the older woman wiped her hands off her apron, as if trying to wipe off some kind of dirt.

"It's that no-good Racket boy. Ask him what he wants, then hang up." Sarah's mother then took a good look at her daughter's hair. "And quit bleaching your hair like that. I'm not going to be raising some kind of hoodlum."

Sarah snorted, then shooed her away. She then greeted her caller. "Hi, Dennis."

"Hey! How's my best girl doin' tonight?" Hearing the likely tacked-on sentiment made her scoff.

"I live in a run-down shack, with my bitch of a mom who lives off welfare." Sarah played with the phone cord while hearing her mother turn on the less than stellar television. "So you know, doing the usual."

"Dammit, Sarah! Did you take my smokes again?" Sarah ignored her, and focused her attention on Dennis' voice.

"Well, I was just wondering if you'd like to come on out with one of our family outings with us." Dennis cleared his throat, then continued. "You'd finally get to meet my folks! Though...I'm not entirely sure why you'd want to."

"Knowing what I'm used to..." Sarah looked over into the den, watching her mother drink bourbon and scream at the TV, as if to affirm it, "I don't see how your parents could be any different."

"Oh, trust me, it's best to see the horror for yourself. I'll see you then?"

"It's a date!" Sarah hung up, then went upstairs to make herself presentable.

It took only a few minutes, but then all she had to do was comb her hair and change her shirt. She didn't even bother with makeup, she didn't need it. Sarah was that beautiful, and she knew it.

Quickly, she ran downstairs and towards the door. Just as she was turning the doorknob, her mother snapped at her.

"And where in the fresh hell are you going at this hour?" Sarah rolled her eyes.

"None of your business. And it's only a quarter to seven..."

"On a school night! You're off to mess around with them so-called friends of yours, ain't you?!" The older woman threw her half-empty bottle at the wall, leaving a stain mere inches from Sarah's head.

"You're throwing your life away for them people! You wanna end up like your father? He killed himself in prison! You keep this lifestyle up, that's gonna happen to you!"

"Shut up, Mom!" Sarah banged her fist against the drying bourbon stain on the wall. "At least I have a life and friends! I have a great boyfriend who actually gives a damn about me! At least I don't sit here and waste my life watching game shows! All you ever do is sit here and get drunk until you pass out!"

Sarah yanked open the door, and gave her mother the finger. "So go fuck yourself, and rot on that chair of yours! I hate you, and I hope you die!" At this, the white-haired teen stormed outside, and slammed the door shut.

...

"Hey there, Silver!" Dennis was standing outside the bistro, waiting for Sarah to show up. Sarah smirked at the affectionate nickname he had for her. "What took you so long?"

"Mom was chewing me out, like always." Dennis held her hand, and kissed it. "Nothing I'm not used to."

"Eh, well, fuck her." Dennis then turned and led her inside. "Come on in, the family's waitin'!"

Sarah was awestruck by the beauty and glamour of the bistro. She had never before been inside, and her mother could never afford it. Actually, she could, she just blew it all on alcohol and cigarettes.

When she lay eyes on the other Racket members, she was just as surprised. Though not in an entirely good way.

"Ma, Pa, Bill," Dennis gave a slightly snide tone of voice toward saying the last name, "This here's my girl Silver!" He proudly presented her to the other three people sitting at a table.

"Hi, how's it going?" Sarah couldn't help but notice how empty the rest of the restaurant was. There were cooks in the kitchen, but that was really about it. She thought nothing of it, though, and extended her hand toward Mrs. Racket.

"She a hooker?" The one presumably named Bill piped up, causing everyone else to glare at him. "She looks like a hooker!"

"She ain't a hooker, dumbfuck!" Dennis looked her over, raising his eyebrows in approval. "She's way too pretty to be one." The woman sitting next to the man opposite Bill leaned over and smacked him upside the head.

"Learn yerself some manners, boy," she muttered as she took a drag on a long cigarette. "You gonna call every pretty woman you see a hooker? Course you ain't, don't see why your brother's girl is any different."

"Yes, Ma." Dennis held out a chair for Sarah, before seating himself. For a while, things were decent. The food was amazing, the talk was small, the only thing really wrong was Bill's atrocious table manners.

Then, Mrs. Racket decided it was time for her to leave. She gestured her sons to follow her, but her husband stayed seated.

"I'll just stay here and discuss some things with this lovely lady here. Mostly I'll just tell her what to expect with Dennis. I'll pay for everything, don't worry." His wife shrugged, then pulled Bill out by the ear, with Dennis following close by.

When they were gone, Mr. Racket turned his eyes toward Sarah. His intent stare unnerved her. Thankfully, he seemed pleasant enough.

"So my boy Dennis fancies you, eh?" Sarah felt him look at her, as if analyzing her. "Not hard to see why he thinks so highly of you."

"Um...thanks?" Sarah was genuinely moved by his compliment, though. "Your son isn't too bad, himself."

Mr. Racket scoffed. "All my boys got something wrong with them, whether I like it or not. Bill's a moron, as you've seen. My eldest boy Dudley, he didn't come, has this sickening sense of 'justice' that gets annoying. Hell, even Dennis seems a bit too eager to please his mother and I."

The man leaned back, looking at her and winking. "Oh, but that boy, he has ambition. That I like about him. And apparently, he has good taste in women." Sarah looked around in an effort to avoid eye contact.

"Why, if I were a few years younger, and we were both single, I'd ask you out in a flash! But..." Mr. Racket leaned over towards Sarah now. "Well, I'm a happily married man, and you're in a relationship with my youngest boy."

"Is your wife happy at all about this?" Sarah watched as Dennis' father got a grim expression on his face.

"Well, it's hard to tell with her. Marigold, that's my wife, ain't completely...all there. When she heard Dennis found himself a nice girl, she went into quite the tizzy. She was afraid that this new woman was going to steal her little boy away from her!"

"But," here Mr. Racket looked over at an empty glass, "I managed to calm her down, and tell her that no such thing was going to happen. And I love my wife, I really do. She's just a bit hard to understand." Now Sarah ended up maintaining eye contact with him. "You know how your parents are, yeah?"

"I..." The topic of her parents was not something Sarah expected to reach tonight. "My mom's an alcoholic, and my dad is..." She swallowed before saying the word, "dead."

"Oh, well, I am deeply sorry to hear that. Dennis never told us about any of that..."

"Because I never told him. It was something I thought was best not to say. My mother's a bitch anyway. I don't care what she thinks." Sarah looked down at her hands, before seeing him pat her left one.

"Well, if'n you ever need anything, anything at all, you can come talk to me n' Marigold. Sometimes a girl needs some kind of parental guidance, ya know?"

"That's true." Sarah stood up to go. "I should probably get going. See you around, Mr. Racket."

"Please darlin'," he said with a smile on his face, "Call me Max."

"Max." Sarah nodded, letting the name roll off her tongue. "I guess you can call me by my nickname Silver, then."

* * *

I'll update Beauty and the Geek at some point, hopefully. For now, this will have to do.

-Emerald-Shadow-Knight


	2. Shoot the Silver Bullet

Good thing the site decided to work again. I was starting to lose it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sims 3 or its creations.

* * *

Sarah's mother was out cold by the time she got back. Thinking she wouldn't care, Sarah gently reached over and turned the TV off. She then made her way upstairs to her room.

The instant she closed the door to her room, Sarah heard shrieking come from the den. She then heard rapid stomping up the stairs, along with her door swinging open.

"Do you know how late it is?! Dammit, I told you that you weren't responsible enough!" Sarah was familiar with the tirades. At this point, she would just tune out the words and deal with it, and her very angry mother.

Now, a hard slap across the face, that was usually never expected. Sarah didn't realize she'd been hit until she was on the floor. Even then, it took her a second to register what happened.

The stinging sensation was felt over her entire cheek. She felt the forming bruise already. What hurt worse, though, was that her mother never hit her, no matter how angry she was.

In an instant, a look of realization ran across her mother's face. Her expression changed from anger to that of fear and regret.

"S-Sarah, I..." But the younger girl wouldn't hear of it. As quick as she could, she ducked under her mother's arm, and sprinted out the door.

"Sarah, I didn't mean to hurt you!" By the time her mother got to the front door, Sarah was already far off into the night.

...

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Sarah knew Twinbrook like the back of her hand. She knew all the best make-out spots, where every store was. She even knew there was a payphone by the bookstore.

Thankfully somehow, Sarah had managed to get a hold of her pants with spare change in them. Without hesitation, she put in the money and called the first person she could think of.

"Racket Residence. Head of the house speaking." Hearing his voice almost caused Sarah to lose her composure.

"Max? It's me, Silver. I'm...my mom..." She had rehearsed what she was going to say in case he picked up, but now the words seemed tangled up in her throat.

"Silver? Now what's all happened? Calm down and tell your friend Max, now." Slowly, but surely, Sarah described to him everything that happened. Max simply listened and gave an occasional, "Mm-hmm."

"That is indeed quite a problem. Would you like Dennis to come and get you?"

"Yes, that would sound great. Just bring me to your house and-"

"Er, well, there would be a problem there, Miss Silver," Max said with a regretful tone in his voice. "See, I am in the middle of something. It's something related to the, eh, 'family business'. It's something I'd rather you not see. But I'll tell you what. I'll have Dennis take you to one of them hotels in town. Get it paid and everything. Will that be a suitable compromise?"

Anything was better than going back to her mother. "Yeah, that'll work for me."

"Wonderful! Dennis will get you in a few minutes, then." Max then hung up, but not before Sarah heard Marigold in the background shouting, "One of 'em ain't dead!"

...

The hotel was nothing too special. Sarah figured that was because it was the best they could find on short notice, though. She sat on the side of the bed, holding an ice pack. Dennis sat next to her, smoothing her hair out.

"I can't believe it. Your ma just seriously smacked you like that? That's just awful." Sarah simply nodded.

"Well, you know what my pa said. Just holler if you need anything." Slowly, Dennis stood up and started to go.

"Dennis, wait!" Sarah grabbed his arm with her free hand. "Do you...do your parents need you back home right away?" Dennis looked at her, surprised.

"I...Not right away, but..." Sarah tugged at his arm, coaxing him back towards her.

"For obvious reasons, I don't want to be alone right now. I'm still..." She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. "Until tonight, my mom never hit me. Hell, I don't know what hurts more, the slap itself or the emotional agony that came with it."

Dennis knelt in front of her. "And I reckon you want me to spend the night with you?" Sarah nodded. She looked down in such a way that her long white hair covered her face. "Well, I...I suppose so, if that's all right with my folks."

Sarah gestured toward the phone sitting on the nightstand. Dennis, without hesitation, picked up and dialed his parents' home number.

"Hey, Pa. Is Ma gettin' everything under control over there? She does? Well, that's a relief to hear! You, uh, you ain't gonna need me over there anytime soon?"

While Dennis was talking, Sarah made her way to the bathroom. Already, she saw how much had changed in the few preceding hours. Where she once looked radiant and naturally gorgeous, she now looked tired, and pale. The ugly bruise on her cheek was blotchy, and an unsettling shade of purple.

Sarah reminded herself to get concealer early tomorrow morning. She combed through her hair with her fingers, and splashed cold water onto her face. By the time she returned to the other room, Dennis had already hung up.

"Dennis?" Sarah threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Can you come with me tomorrow when I get a change of clothes? I don't want to be alone in case, you know..."

"Well, I reckon I can do that." The two kissed. Dennis then wrapped his arms around Sarah's waist. When she tried deepening said kiss, however, he gently pushed her away.

"Whoa, whoa. What's giving, Silver? I thought you said when we started dating that you weren't ready."

Sarah shrugged. "That was when we started dating. Besides, I'm eighteen. I'm legal. I'd like to get through my last year of high school without my virginity. And you're what, twenty?"

"Twenty-two," Dennis clarified. "But that isn't the issue here. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course I do. And I don't want to do it with anyone other than you. Just...I need something to help me get over what happened. And if that means scoring with the man I love, so be it."

Dennis sighed. "Well, all right. I ain't complaining, either way. Just wanted to make sure you thought it through."

"Of course I did." The rest of the night was spent in each others' arms. And for a few hours, Sarah was able to forget her troubles.


	3. Worth the Weight in Silver

Sims 3 belongs to EA/Maxis.

* * *

Morning had come far too quickly. Sarah looked out the window, squinting at the early sun's glare. She wanted to take the bedsheets and block out the light.

In fact, she was about to do just that. Or she would have, if her bedmate hadn't stirred next to her.

"Holy hell, what a night. Not every night that happens!" Dennis seemed quite pleased with himself. Sarah simply rolled her eyes, amused that he seemed so cheery.

Both of them tried to ignore the blood stains left on the sheet. Sarah said it wasn't that bad, that it didn't hurt. "Besides," she said, "The cleaning person can deal with it later."

Sarah now sat on the edge of the bed, contemplating whether or not it was worth going to school today. She knew it'd be suspicious going to school in the same skinny jeans as yesterday. After weighing the pros and cons, she made her decision.

"Hey, Dennis," she said while looking over at her boyfriend, who was already pulling up his pants, "Can you call the school and tell them I won't be coming in today?"

"Ha, now there's something I did last night! But yeah, I can phone in. What reason is it this time?"

"Just make up some bullshit, but keep it reasonable." Sarah reached into her jeans pocket and fished out her pack of cigarettes.

No doubt her mother would be shrieking up a storm when she got back. No matter. Maybe she wouldn't even go home today. She'd just sneak in tonight. For now, she was content with simply smoking in the bathroom.

...

Sarah was thankful that Dennis loaned her a spare T-Shirt of his. It was surprisingly comfortable, perfect for wandering around a place like Twinbrook.

As always, she wound up at the bookstore. Sarah busied herself by looking through some outdated comic books when she heard voices coming from the other side.

Initially, she didn't pay much attention to them, but hearing the word "Racket" piqued her interest.

"I hear Old Lady Racket put a hit out on someone just last night!" One female voice said.

"From who? 'Cause if you heard it from Lenny, then he's probably bluffing. You know how he gets..." Another female said before being interrupted.

"Hey! Don't go dissing my Len-Len! He had the decency to marry me when I got knocked up!" Sarah was intrigued by the small talk.

"Actually, your 'Len-Len' could be right," a raspy male voice said. "I saw her out in the swamp the other day, dumping something into the water. Looked big enough to be a body."

"I can't believe that old broad actually does that sort of thing in plain view!" The first voice said again. "Makes me worry about her home life..."

"Yeah. I mean, who does that in front of their own kids? They all gotta be messed up somehow."

"They'd have to be. You hear about the youngest one, Dennis? I hear he's set to inherit everything from his parents when they die." Now Sarah couldn't hide anymore. She had to know what was up about the Racket family and whatever the 'family business' was.

"Inherit what? What's he getting from them?" The white-haired teen said as she sprang out from behind the bookshelf. The three at the table, two blonde women and a man with tattoos and blue streaked hair, were startled.

"Where'd you come from? Were you eavesdropping on us? You know how rude that is?!" The first blonde stood up and glared at Sarah. Her two friends joined her and attempted to restrain her.

"Easy, Renee," the other blonde said.

"She isn't worth getting mad over," the man said, before he glanced over at Sarah to speak to her. "Look, ma'am, it's really not something you want to know about."

"Yes, it is!" Sarah now felt herself getting worked up. "Dennis ought to tell the girl he's dating everything!"

All three stood in silence. Apparently, none of them heard of the youngest Racket boy finding a girl to get involved with. Soon, though, the second blonde broke the silence.

"Uh...Maybe it's something you should ask your boyfriend about." Sarah fumed for a few moments, before regaining enough composure to calm herself.

"Okay...I will." Sarah then made her way to the door, but not before flipping over the table the three were sitting at.

"Gah! No! I was working on that! Fuck!" The man dropped to the floor as she walked through the door. "Now I won't have a cover design to give Mister Wolf! Dammit!"

...

Sarah was trying to remember where Dennis had gotten off to. After considering all the possible places, she then realized he'd probably be back at the hotel.

Upon approaching the building, she saw him leaning on the wall. Dennis seemed in a world of his own, smiling rather devilishly when he saw her.

"Well, there's my best girl! Find anything nice for me to buy you?" Sarah half-smiled and rolled her eyes, before getting serious.

"Not really. Hey, so listen. I was at the bookstore, and I overheard some things. Things relating to you and your family."

"Oh?" The expression Dennis gave her seemed to be a mix of curiosity, and fear. "Are any of these things you heard good?"

"I don't know. They said to ask you about it." Sarah scratched the back of her head, and bit her lip. "Apparently you're going to inherit something from them after your mother dies?"

Sarah's boyfriend looked off to the side. "It's possible. It's an unpleasant thing to deal with, but it's the family thing. I gotta be prepared in case I do."

"Well, what is the family business?"

Dennis, again, seemed to grow uncomfortable from the question. "Well, there's no easy way to explain it...You know what the Mafia is, correct?" Sarah nodded. "Think that, but more...family style. I suppose I'm used to it, seeing as I was born into it. I'm not sure what your feeling are about all that, though."

"Well, to be honest..." Sarah trailed off when Dennis took a hold of her hands.

"Now, I was gonna tell you everything when I was good n' ready. I was hopin' to do it when I worked up enough courage to ask you."

"Ask me what?" Dennis sheepishly held up her left hand, and rubbed her ring finger. Sarah's cheeks flushed a deep shade of scarlet when she realized what he was getting at.

"You...you want to get married?" Dennis nodded once.

"Can't think of anything better that getting hitched with my special lady Silver!" Dennis gave a bigger smile, and Sarah looked down at their hands.

"I...I don't know...Marriage is a big step to take...Aren't we a little young?" In reality, Sarah wasn't sure if she was willing to completely commit to a Mafia hair. "And what do your parents think?"

"Well, I don't know what my Ma thinks. No one does. However, I'm pretty sure my Pa is willing to accept it. He's pretty fond of ya already!"

"And you know," Dennis let go and gently touched her unbruised cheek, "You don't gotta give me an answer right away. I can wait awhile, until you're ready. Will that work?"

"Of course it will." Sarah was relieved that she didn't have to accept or reject his marriage proposal right now. Then, something else crossed her mind.

"Oh, Dennis!" He perked up at hearing his name spoken so cheerfully, though her face said a different story. "Can you...can you take me back to my house? I'd like to get a change of clothes."

"Yeah, I forgot about that. I reckon my shirt's a bit big on ya, I suppose. How's about we go do that now?"

"That'd be great, Dennis." Though she wanted to avoid her mother, she knew she wanted fresh clothes more.


	4. Tarnished Silver

I'm glad you like the story thus far, Jyoti! Simply put, I'm trying to base it somewhat on what Silver's personal bio said in the game. So...that may help give a bit of insight on how the story will go.

* * *

Nothing much had changed in front of the house since Sarah left last night. But then, it wasn't like the house was going to fall apart just from what happened.

"You want me to go in with you, Silver? In case your Ma got drunk and pissy while you were gone?" Dennis put a hand on her shoulder. Sarah shook her head.

"It's bad enough with just me. I can't imagine what she'd do if she saw you." With that, Sarah strode across the yard, with Dennis staying behind and patiently waiting.

Even before opening the house, she could hear the TV going, tuned to the Game Show Network, as usual.

The instant she opened the door, she was hit with an overwhelming odor, undoubtedly a mix of booze and vomit. It was so bad, Sarah had to cover her mouth and nose as she hurried upstairs.

Everything was done quickly, from looking for makeup to cover her bruise, to grabbing new clothes, to taking a few other things she felt would be valuable.

The entire time, her mother never appeared. Surely, the woman would come storming up the stairs about now and demanding where she'd been all night. But surprisingly, there was no sign of her.

Sarah didn't want to admit it, but she was getting worried. She looked over her shoulder as she left the house.

...

Back at the hotel, Sarah was passing the time by giving herself a pedicure. Normally she wouldn't dream of using any of her precious nail polish, but for now she wanted to treat herself.

Dennis had gone out to the diner to get her breakfast. Sarah had stated that she didn't care what he got, maybe have what he was having. She told him the hotel room's phone number in case he had to call her from a payphone.

It seemed as if he did. Shortly after Sarah's toenails started drying, the phone in her room rang. Not wanting to ruin her toes, the teen flopped over and reached for the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Silver." Dennis' voice sounded slightly concerned when he answered.

"Dennis? What happened?" Sarah heard Dennis take a deep breath, before speaking.

"Uh, listen. I met up with my Pa on the way to the diner, and uh...We decided to try to talk some sense into your Ma, so we went over to your house, and-"

"What?! Oh, Dennis, no! You know how my mom gets! She's probably stupid drunk by now." Sarah's mother had not always been the shrieking, abusive drunk she was. She had actually cared about her daughter long ago.

At least, until Sarah's father hung himself in prison. Then their money was suddenly being sunk into her mother's developing alcohol addiction. If the older woman could go a day without touching liquor, it was a miracle.

"Uh, well, that's the thing. See, when we got there, well, when you were there earlier, did the house smell rank? Like, really nasty?"

"Yeah. I just thought that was bourbon, though." It really didn't matter what Sarah's mother drank. Most of the time it just happened to be bourbon. Her father had always drank it, before being locked away. It was ironic when her mother started practically shotgunning the stuff herself.

"Well, that's the thing. We're thinking that might have been part of it, but..." At this point, Dennis spoke to someone else on his side. "Pa, I don't know how to tell her! What do I say?"

"Oh, give it here, you brainless little monkey..." Sarah then heard Max's voice pipe up over the line.

"Hello there, Miss Silver." Max sounded as worried as Dennis. "I reckon my boy told you of what we were intending to do?"

"Yeah, he did. Are you guys there now?"

"We are indeed. Listen, Silver, something has happened, and I would rather not discuss it over the phone. If it's at all possible, could you please come back to your house?"

"I..." Sarah was not wanting to face her mother again. But she rationalized that if Max and Dennis were there, her mother wouldn't try anything.

...

Both Max and Dennis were standing out on the front yard when Sarah showed up. She gave the excuse that she needed to find her sandals, when in reality, she wanted her toenails dry before she went anywhere.

Dennis didn't seem to notice Sarah's purple nails. But then again, they didn't seem important anyway.

"You want me to show her, or do you, Pa?" Max rolled his eyes in frustration toward his son's apparently stupid question. His expression softened when he looked at Sarah again.

"I suppose I will. As much as I do not wish to expose the lovely Miss Silver to something so horrendous, it must be done." He took her by the hand and led her inside, with Dennis following close by. Like earlier, the foul odor permeated the air as much as ever. Sarah wrinkled her nose as Max guided her upstairs.

"Your mother's room is the one next to yours, correct?" Sarah nodded. The door was ajar. It was hard to believe, but the smell was even worse now.

"I'd brace yourself, hon," Max said as he slowly opened the door to the room and flicked on the light.

As Sarah expected, the room was messy, with an unmade bed and empty bottles everywhere. But what she didn't expect to see in there was her mother.

Or more specifically, her mother's corpse hanging from the rafters.

...

The next three weeks or so were a complete blur. After discovering her mother's dead body (and shrieking her head off, mostly out of shock), there was a funeral. Sarah didn't cry, not surprisingly.

She was, however, stony-faced. Though Sarah couldn't stand her mother, never did she think the woman would consider suicide. She said nothing as she threw a rose into her mother's grave.

Sarah had a feeling her parents were reunited wherever they were now. For her, though?

The unpaid bills were piling up. Sarah's mother usually was a bit late on paying them, but now she herself had no way of knowing what to do, seeing as she had no job.

School was getting worse. Her graduation was coming, and though her final exams weren't much of a problem, the teen had several of them. One was too many for her, she felt.

The teen wandered through the messy house, gliding through like some sort of ghost. She found herself in the kitchen, and dialed the number she knew most.

"Y'ello?" Sarah nearly broke from hearing Dennis' voice on the other line.

"Dennis. You're home, that's good."

"Silver? That you?"

"Of course it is. Who else could it be?" Sarah looked at her newly painted nails as she spoke. "Listen. I need you and your dad to do me a favor."

"Anything for you, beautiful."

"Well..." Sarah hesitated. "You know how you're into the whole Mafia thing and stuff? Can you...I need something done, and I'm guessing you and your parents are the best ones for the job."

...

"Now, Miss Silver, are you quite certain that this is what you wish to do?" Max pulled out two containers of gasoline from the back of his vehicle. Sarah looked at him as he handed one to Dennis, and dug out a small matchbook and gave it to her.

"Yes. It is," she said. She watched as the two went inside and began splashing the volatile liquid throughout the house. She sat down, next to the few belongings she took from her room.

One bag. Just a bag of things. Some shirts, two pairs of jeans, any little gifts Dennis gave her in the time they'd been dating. Anything she could fit into the sack, she took with her.

As soon as Max overheard what Sarah needed, he set a plan in motion. By the time she had finished packing, he was already at her house with a decoy made to look just like her.

Now, both him and Dennis went about the house, preparing it for imminent immolation. When both were done, they walked back out, and Dennis took Sarah by the hand and led her to the front door, but still a safe distance away.

"If you would do the honors, Miss Silver?" Sarah nodded. She struck a match, then threw it into the gasoline as far away from them as she could.

It wasn't long before the house was engulfed in flame. The three distanced themselves and watched it burn.

The smell was overpowering, and made Sarah want to throw up. She covered her mouth and doubled over. Dennis went over to her and held her for support. For all he knew, she was simply overcome with emotion.

She was, in a way. She wasn't sad over it, though. She was simply coming to the realization that everything she knew in her life was now burning in front of her.

Sarah's parents were dead, and now, in a way, so was she.

When the house fire had died down somewhat, Max looked over at Dennis, then nodded.

...

"So I hear Dennis has asked for your hand in marriage. Is that right, Miss Silver?" The three stopped at the diner for late dinner. It was so late at night, it was amazing the fire didn't wake anyone up.

"You heard right." Sarah looked over at Dennis, who was at the old-looking pinball machine in the corner.

"I also hear you requested some time to think about his proposal. Is that true?" Max didn't seem upset. If anything, he seemed amused.

"That's right. It's just..." Sarah looked down at her hands. "It's the whole 'family business' thing that worries me. I mean, don't you ever worry you'll get in trouble?"

"Well, of course we do. Sometimes we worry Dudley may just spill the beans, and land us all in the pokey. But we figure, what with the money we make, the risk is worth taking."

"Money..." The whole concept of money was always something that Sarah enjoyed. "How much do you make, by the way?"

It almost seemed as if Max knew she was going to ask. He pulled out a pen and paper.

"Now let's see, on a bad day, carry the one, now I only wish my math skills were not so rusty...Here we are!" He finished writing, and pushed the finished work towards Sarah.

The number was big. As in, the number alone was several times as much as what her house was worth. Sarah's eyes widened when she realized how much that was.

"That's...and you said that's on a bad day?" Max nodded. "I...I..." A feeling began to rise up from her stomach and burned in her throat. "Would you excuse me for a second?"

Sarah stood up and made her way to the bathroom. She barely made it inside the stall before she retched. She clutched the sides of the toilet for support. Why she was suddenly so sick lately, the teen wasn't sure.

She thought maybe it was from the fumes earlier, but that didn't explain why she had been feeling like this for the last week. She had her assumptions, however. Now seemed the time to act on them.

When she was sure she was done, Sarah flushed and went to go clean her face.

"You feeling quite all right, Miss Silver?" Max asked when she rejoined him. In the time she had taken in the bathroom, Dennis had already taken his seat at the booth.

"Yeah. I guess it's just the whole thing tonight got me on edge." Sarah then turned to look at Dennis.

"So listen, Dennis. I've been thinking..." She started her conversation to her boyfriend, while his father watched silently but coyly.

"Yes?" Sarah swallowed, still a bit hesitant.

"I think...I'll give you my answer on your proposal from a while back." The blonde smiled. "My answer is yes, Dennis."

The instant she finished, Sarah was caught off guard by Dennis suddenly whooping and hollering and jumping out of the booth seat.

"She said yes! Land alive, she said yes!" The man was going on and on like a hyperactive child. Max simply smiled more.

"I just had a feeling your answer would turn him into an idiot. Ah, well, I wasn't much better when I proposed to the Missus several decades back. Marriage is quite the big impending event, wouldn't you say?"

"I'll say." Sarah chuckled as she watched him.

"Now then, what say we get you to our house, and celebrate there?" Sarah looked over at the older man, then to her ecstatic beloved, then smiled and nodded.

* * *

I hope this makes up for my brief absence. I tend to do that a lot.

-Emerald-Shadow-Knight


	5. Silver and Gold

I do not own Sims 3 as a series. I got most of the discs for its Expansion and Stuff packs, but that's about it.

* * *

Sarah had been awestruck by how big Dennis' house was. Or, to be more specific, Dennis' mansion. He never said he lived in such a big place. When she saw just exactly how big it was, she just about swooned.

Max was all too happy to give her the grand tour. So many rooms, and each one was decorated surprisingly well. It was almost as if she were walking through a life-sized dollhouse.

When Sarah and Max walked by one room, the teen saw Mrs. Racket sitting at a desk, glaring at her as she walked by.

"Now don't you fret about the Missus, Silver," Max said, as though he saw his wife. "Marigold is simply a bit jealous of you. She is not too fond of her position as "the lady of the house" being possibly usurped by a new, younger girl. Well, that, and I would assume she is none too happy that you have become her favorite child's bride-to-be."

"Oh...I wondered what was up with her. I thought she just randomly hated me, or something." Max chuckled at Sarah's suggestion.

"Goodness, no! But should Marigold give you a hard time. do not hesitate to inform me, and I will make sure she behaves herself."

"All right. Thanks, Max," Sarah said as they stopped at what was presumably Dennis' room. Max nodded to her, and then left her to start unpacking.

...

"So what is it you want for the whole wedding ceremony, Silver?" Dennis was walking through town later that day, leading Sarah through some of the places that she would never have thought of going on her own.

"I figured the whole thing with flowers, we'd get all roses. Unless those are too cliched, then we can get something like lilies, or violets. Figured you like purple, so..."

Sarah simply listened as Dennis ran his mouth off about wedding preparations. She bit her lip, not wanting to shatter his streak. But deep down, she really hadn't much of a choice.

"Dennis," she said finally, interrupting him as he began talking about caterers. "Instead of all that lavish ceremony stuff, can we just..."

"Yes?" He listened intently as she wrung her hands.

"I'd prefer we just have something low-key. Saves time and money and well, I'd rather we just make it official as soon as possible." Sarah waited for Dennis' reaction, surprised when he smiled and nodded.

"Well, hot damn, Silver! If I'd have known you were that eager, I'd have kept my mouth shut and brought you to City Hall!" He took her hand again, and began to almost drag her to his destination. "I'll call Pa and let him know!"

...

Sarah barely remembered the whole thing. It was a brief ceremony, with the words said, the rings exchanged, Max looking on proudly as his son married the love of his life.

When it came time to sign the official documents, Sarah faltered a little bit. She was aware that this was likely her last chance to break free of the horrid life she had known.

But she wasn't entirely sure if she could let go of Sarah, and fully embrace Silver. As much as she couldn't stand her life before, it was all she'd ever known, before she met Dennis. On the other hand, this was a chance for a new, much better life.

Reluctantly, she picked up the pen, and in as neat as cursive as she could manage, she wrote what was now officially her name:

_Silver Racket._

...

That night, the newly-christened, newly-married Silver made her way downstairs quietly, so as not to awaken anyone else, especially Dennis. She had wanted to use the bathroom, but for whatever reason, the nearest ones were locked.

She had no choice but to use the one downstairs. Silver made sure to lock the door, in case one of the others came down. When she did, she took out a box she bought earlier that day, when Dennis was off calling his father.

Making sure she followed the instructions on the box, Silver waited. It said to let one minute pass, which she did. Seeing the results confirmed her most extreme suspicions.

Now, the newlywed left the bathroom, looking for a wastebasket to throw away any evidence. She found one in the study, but that wasn't all she found.

"Max?" Silver's father-in-law was seated at the desk in the corner, writing on some papers. He looked up when he saw her, standing in the doorway in her nightgown, and grinned.

"Well now, Silver," he said as he stopped what he was doing and stood up to approach her, "it's rather an unearthly hour for you to be awake, wouldn't you think?"

"I know." Silver looked over at the box she hid behind her back, deciding that perhaps it wouldn't hurt to tell him. "Um, Max...? Can I confide something to you?"

"But of course! Now what could be troubling you, Lady Silver?" She looked down, her long hair draping around her face.

"Well, you know how Dennis has probably said how 'eager' I was to get the whole wedding thing over with?" Max nodded. "There was...Well, I sort of had a reason for speeding things up."

"And what reason would that be?"Silver now took the box out from behind her, and fished out the used piece of plastic that bore the truth. She held it up to Max's eye level, presenting the two pink lines. Max took hold of it, as though he needed to touch the evidence for himself.

"Well, I'll be damned." He then looked at Silver, who still averted her gaze.

"I don't know what to do. I mean, how am I going to tell Dennis?" Max brushed her hair away, and lifted her chin up.

"Now, if that is what you are worried about, I will give you two ideas," he said as he managed to get her to look at him, "I can loan you the money necessary to have this taken care of. Or," he now put up a finger, "you can let me know, and I will tell Dennis myself."

When Silver heard this second choice, her expression faltered. But Max wasn't done talking yet.

"I will let you in on a secret, Silver: The Missus wasn't much older than you were when she found out she was going to have Dudley, all those years ago. I wasn't much older than Dennis, neither."

"So whether or not you believe you are ready for motherhood, that is up to you. Personally, I would be ecstatic to have a grandchild around. But I am not going to coerce my daughter-in-law into something she is not comfortable with."

Silver began to contemplate how her mother would have reacted, hearing her only child had married "that Racket boy" and was now pregnant. Surely, it would cause her to fly into a rage, and many bottles of bourbon would have been broken.

At the least, it would be nowhere near as calm as how Max was taking it.

"No matter when you decide to go through with it, whether now or several years from now. Parenthood is a big step, I ain't gonna lie to you."

Silver clasped her hands, biting her lip, mulling over her decision. On the one hand, motherhood was a concept she would have been afraid of at any age. On the other hand, she didn't wish to hurt two people important to her.

"Max," she said in a voice that sounded entirely unlike her own. Her father-in-law waited for her answer. "In the morning, the first chance you get..." She took a deep breath, "Tell Dennis he's going to be a dad."

The older man then grinned, then clapped Silver on the shoulder. "Consider it done, madam. Now you get yourself up to bed, and I shall dispose of this evidence you have here. Don't want this ending up being found by Bill or the Missus."

Silver nodded, then handed the pregnancy test to him. She then left the room, and headed back upstairs for the rest of the night.

* * *

Happy Valentine's Day.

-Emerald-Shadow-Knight


	6. Gagging on the Silver Spoon

Sims 3 belongs to EA/Maxis.

* * *

A few months had passed since the wedding. In turn, Silver's stomach was growing practically by the day. Most mornings, it took more effort than usual to pull herself out of bed and start her day.

It didn't help she had to urinate a lot more, and her feet swelled. The angry red stretchmarks were ugly and unpleasant, but thankfully could be covered.

Besides the physical issues, there were also the mixed reactions from everyone. Dennis was overwhelmed by impending fatherhood. He fawned over Silver's big belly, oftentimes talking to it. As for Max, he was also proud to have a future grandchild.

It was the reactions of Marigold and Bill that were critical. Every morning at breakfast, Marigold would point out that Silver looked like a sea cow. She clearly did not take well to the fact that her favorite son was associating with another woman. There may have been other things said, had Max not glared at her to get her to stop.

Bill was just as bad, if not worse. Several times, he would imply it wasn't Dennis' child. He still held to the belief that Silver slept around, and that the unborn child was the product of another man.

Of course, this stopped when Dennis threatened to cut Bill's private parts off. It was clear Bill valued his manhood too much to risk it over some taunting.

The only one to be indifferent to the entire thing was Dudley. The eldest of the three Racket brothers, he was also the only one that wanted no part in the family business.

Silver rarely saw him at home. On the occasion he was, though, the other Rackets mercilessly teased and insulted him. Sometimes Silver joined in, but otherwise, she avoided Dudley. Most days it was amazing if she saw him at all.

But then, as long as they didn't bother each other, it was decent.

...

On this particular day, Silver was doing her now usual routine. She sat on a plush chair while her toenails dried, watching TV and eating ice cream. Somehow the expectant mother managed to get comfortable, what with several pounds of unborn child complicating the matter.

"You sittin' on your ass doing nothing again, girl?" Marigold sneered at her from the doorway. "If'n I were your mother, I'd be making you be useful for once."

Silver grimaced at the mention of the word 'mother' and what exactly it meant to her. She couldn't help but retort back at the woman.

"No, if you were my mother, you'd be screaming at me, watching game shows, and chugging bourbon before noon." Marigold was about to snap when Dennis came in from behind her, as if from nowhere.

"Ma, leave Silver be! She ain't hurting anything. Now get in the car." Dennis watched as his mother walked out, grumbling the whole way. He then looked over at Silver and smiled.

"I'll be back home as soon as I can tonight, all right, beautiful?" He leaned in and kissed her on her lips, tasting the cookie dough ice cream she was gorging herself on. He them kissed her stomach.

"Both of you behave yourselves, okay?" He then waved as he went out the door and off to work.

After about ten minutes, Silver ran out of ice cream, and shows to flip through. Making sure the polish on her nails was dry, she hefted herself off the couch and waddled downstairs.

"Anyone home?" The house was rather big, so she didn't really expect an answer, even if someone was home.

"Present!" She heard Max's voice ring out from the bathroom, and went to investigate. She found her father-in-law bent under a sink, with a grimace on his face.

"Oh, what in the hell does Bill do in here?" Max tightened a pipe under the sink with a wrench. "It seems every time he uses the bathroom, it's just another mess to fix and clean."

"Sounds like you need to get him an outhouse." This quip elicited a few chuckles from him, as he stood upright again.

"Knowing him, it's a possibility." Max brushed off any dirt on him before continuing the conversation. "So how are the both of you doing?"

Silver rubbed her belly. "I'm bored, the kid's restless." As if on cue, her unborn child kicked against her hand. "I kind of wish Dennis didn't have to work so much now."

"Well, now that is something you'll have to bring up with him. Marigold is the one telling him how to run the business when she retires. However, I do not think she is willing to talk to you about that topic."

As Max talked, Silver felt a sudden twinge of pain. She rubbed her back and bit her lip. This didn't go unnoticed by her father-in-law.

"Something bothering you, Lady Silver?" The mother-to-be decided not to dance around the subject. She tried to put on a smile to reassure him, but could only manage a pained grin.

"Um, Max...could you drive me to the hospital?"

...

Silver had forgotten how long she'd been in the hospital room. The ride there had been hectic enough for her to forget. She had tried to reassure Max that things would be fine.

Of course, that didn't stop him from turning into a frantic mess. It was embarrassing to see him demand the best possible room for his grandchild to be born in.

She didn't even remember if he'd called Dennis or not. But that question was answered in time, when Silver heard Max shouting outside her room.

"Took you long enough to get here, you imbecile!" Silver couldn't see who he was yelling at, but it was surely her husband. "You honestly could not drop the current project to get here in time?"

"But Pa-" Dennis was not given a chance to respond before Max resumed.

"I do not care how important the hit was! Your wife was here, bringing your child into the world!" Silver tried to ignore the argument, and focused on her wedding band.

She remembered once that Marigold caught sight of it. Rather, she took hold of Silver's wrist and yanked it up to her eye level. Though the batty woman said nothing, the younger woman was sure she was jealous.

Deciding to think nothing of it, the new mother turned her attention to what was across the room from her. Her newborn son was asleep, seemingly unaware of the commotion. Only a few hours old, and he was unaware of the rich family he'd been born into.

Then the shouting match ended, and the two men came into the room. Max had his hand on his son's back, pushing him in. Dennis was pale-faced.

"Now then. I will go and discuss your business rules with your mother. But for now, do the right thing, and be a husband and father."

* * *

Sorry for the wait.

-Emerald-Shadow-Knight


End file.
